Staple removing and clinching tool



p 7, 5 R. s. KANE ETAL 2,688,134

STAPLE REMOVING AND CLINCHING TOOL Filed March 8, 1952 BY Jacob lflzbww z,

e in Patented Sept. 7, 1954 NITED OFFICE STAPLE REMOVING AND CLINCHING TOOL Robert S. Kane and Jacob L. Dickson, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 8, 1952, Serial No. 275,492

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to staple removing and clinching tools, and more particularly to devices for manipulating the set staples of envelopes into open and closed positions.

As is well known, certain types of envelopes are provided with set staples for holding the flaps thereof in closed position. Such staples comprise a base secured to one face of the envelope and two prongs adapted to be inserted through an opening in the flap and spread for securing the flap in position. In handling any quantity of these envelopes, either during a mailing operation or upon receipt of them, the opening and closing of these set staples becomes a very tedious, slow and often irritating manual. labor to any person engaged in such activities.

Accordingly, the present invention. has as its main object the provision of a device or tool that may be manipulated to move the prongs of set staples used on envelopes and the like to facilitate opening and closing of such envelopes.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a tool or device which can be easily and economically manufactured and so formed as to provide a bifurcated head having oppositely disposed portions having the space therebetween defined by inwardly converging upstanding flanges whereby, when said portions are inserted beneath the prongs of a set staple and moved toward them, when. the same are in substantially parallel relation with one face of the envelope, said prongs can be moved into an upright position with respect to the face of said envelope.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type hereinabove described in which the said flanges increase in width inwardly to facilitate the movement of the prongs, and which is provided with an abutment at the inner end of the space between said prongs to limit the movement of the tool when the prongs have been moved to a position where they may be readily inserted in the opening of said flap.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device as immediately hereinabove portrayed in which one of the head portions has its outer marginal edge defined by an upstanding flange diverging inwardly from the outer end with respect to the inner upstanding flange thereof which portion may be used to spread the upstanding prongs downwardly, as when the flap of the envelope is secured in closed relationship thereto.

Other objects, features, capabilities and advantages are comprehended by the invention, as will later appear and as are inherently possessed thereby.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a device made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of an envelope showing the device of Figure 1 applied in a position for manipulating the set staple at tached to said envelope;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 of the drawings showing the application of the device to the set staple;

Figure 4 is a view in front elevation of the device shown in Figure 1 of the drawings;

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figures 2 and 3 disclosing the additional use of the device in spreading the set staple attached to the envelope.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, a device made in accordance with the present invention is shown in Figure 1 as including a bifurcated head 2, having the spaced portions '2 and 6, the said head having an integral handle 8 offset in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the bifurcated head 2 by the interconnecting wall iii.

As previously referred to hereinabove, certain types of envelopes such as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5 and referred to by reference numeral 82 are formed with a flap Hi at one end thereof adapted to be folded over one of the faces it of the envelope, the said flap being provided with an opening 18 adapted to receive a set staple 20 attached to the face it for securing the flap in closed position to contain the contents of the envelope. I

This set staple is formed with a case portion 22 secured to the face it and has the oppositely disposed prongs 2 and 26 which, when in a position 180 apart and in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the face [6, overlap the flap to prevent opening of the same. In opening the envelope the prongs 2 5 and 26 are manually bent around the base 22 into an upright position whereby the flap may be opened. Furthermore, when these envelopes are received by the user, the set staple 2% is in the position shown in Figure 2 except that the flap is disengaged therefrom so that either when a mailing operation is to be performed, or when the envelopes are to be opened, the prongs 24 must be bent into an up right position. In addition, in the closing of the envelope, the prongs 2i and 2t must be again bent downwardly into the position shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. Where large quantities of these envelopes are used in a mailing operation, or when the same are opened, the task becomes exceedingly tedious, slow and often irritating manual labor to any person engaged in such activities.

In order to overcome these difliculties the device shown in Figure 1 has been perfected to facilitate the opening and closing of the prongs 24 and 26. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the device of Figure 1 is applied to the envelope in a position to move the prongs 24 and 26 into upright position with respect to the face l6 of the envelope. To facilitate this operation the space 28 intermediate the bifurcated portions 4 and 6 is defined by the upstanding flanges 30 and 32 at the inner marginal edges of the head portions 4 and 6, which flanges are disposed at an angle to the plane of the head portions 4 and 6. These flanges converge inwardly and increasingly vary in width inwardly from the forward ends of the head portions 4 and 6. These flanges therefore act as cam surfaces so that when the device is inserted with the head portions 4 and 6 beneath the prongs 24 and 26, as shown in Figure 2, and the device is moved to the position shown in Figure 3, the prongs 24 and 26 will be lifted and bent into an upright position with respect to the face I6 of the envelope. In order to provide a limit to such movement, the said device is formed with an abutment 34 spaced from the ends of the flanges 30 and 32 and extending upwardly from the plane of the head 2. It will, therefore, be seen that when the prongs 24 and 26 are lifted into an upright position, the movement of the device i restricted by this abutment. Such abutment may be of any formation desired, but in the stamping illustrative of the device herein described, the same is shown as being curved in a transverse direction.

As will be clearly appreciated, the device may be used in the manner illustrated for movement of the prongs as described during the mailing operation whereby the said prongs 24 and 26 may be received by the opening 18 of the flap, or the said device may be used in the opening of the envelope by the receiver.

In addition to the above, the head portion 4 is further formed at its outer marginal edge with a flange 36 conforming substantially to the inner flange 30 thereof, the said flange 36 being angularly disposed with respect to the head portion 4 at substantially the same degree as flange 30. Thus the head portion 4 is adapted to be used for moving the prongs 24 and 26 from their upstanding position with respect to the face 16 into a plane substantially parallel to the face 16 of the envelope, all as disclosed in Figure 5 of the drawings. It will b apparent that the flanges 30 and 36 are so disposed as to form a wedge which forces the prongs apart as disclosed. By inserting the end of the head portion 4 between the prongs and exerting a downward and forward movement, the said prongs 24 and 26 are effectively spread apart. This head portion therefore has a dual purpose effective in part to move the prongs into an upright position and effective to spread the prongs apart during another operation.

From the above it will be clearly apparent that with a device of the type herein described, opening and closing of set staples of envelopes may be readily and easily performed and thus greatly facilitating mailing operations or the opening of these envelopes when received. Where a large number of these operations are necessary in any organization, the use of this device eliminates the tedious, time consuming manual operations that have been necessary heretofore.

While we have herein described and upon the drawings shown illustrative embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may comprehend other constructions, arrangements of parts, details and features without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A combined staple clinching and removing tool comprising a handle portion, a head portion in oifset relation to said handle portion, said head portion comprising a flat body having a pair of tapered projections adapted to be projected under the outwardly extending prongs of a set staple, inclined flanges on the confronting sides of the tapered projections to raise the prongs of the staple so that the staple may be easily removed, and a similar inclined flange on the opposite side of one of said projections so that one projection may be projected between the prongs of an inserted staple to spread and clinch the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 198,524 Sprague Dec. 25, 1877 664,494 Olsen Dec. 25, 1900 805,072 Jackson Nov. 21, 1905 2,250,848 Williams July 29, 1941 

